Cumberland Lodge, the independent education and conference centre in Windsor Great Park, seeks to appoint a King George VI Postdoctoral Fellow from 1st October 2013.

This two-year fellowship is open to candidates from any academic discipline who have recently completed, or are very close to completing, a doctorate. The fellowship provides an exciting and unique opportunity for a young scholar to gain experience in planning and running academic and cross-sector conferences and other events. The fellow will also play a full part in the residential life of Cumberland Lodge, which has the feel of both a college and a country house conference centre.

The appointment is for 30 hours a week plus some residential weekend duties. This opens the possibility for teaching or research for the equivalent of one day a week. Recent fellows have held teaching posts at King’s College London and Royal Holloway, for example.

Cumberland Lodge

Cumberland Lodge is the home of an educational charity which was founded in 1947. The Lodge, which is a fine 17th century country house, is owned by the Crown and was made available to the charity by King George VI.

The Lodge seeks to promote thinking and discussion for the ‘betterment of society’ through its own programme of events, by working in partnership with others, and by providing high class residential educational facilities for a wide range of academic, public and professional bodies. Regular users of Cumberland Lodge include the Government, the National Health Service, and the Inns of Court. The charity places particular importance on higher education, and since its foundations thousands of students from universities in Britain and elsewhere have come to Cumberland Lodge for conferences, retreats, reading parties and other activities.

Further information about the Lodge can be found on the website www.cumberlandlodge.ac.uk.

The King George VI Fellow is part of a small in-house team which runs the Lodge’s own range of events called the Cumberland Lodge Programme. The fellow will be required to take the lead in organising several events in the programme, and potential conferences in 2014 include those in the areas of health, policing, the public understanding of science, and inequality and ethnicity. Expertise in any of these fields is not required. What is essential, however, is an enquiring mind and a willingness to engage with a wide range of disciplines.

The fellow will be expected to chair some plenary sessions at conferences, write some conference briefing papers, and prepare some conference reports for publication on the web and/or in print. The fellow may also make contributions to the planning discussions and organisation of other Cumberland Lodge events. The fellow will be involved in selecting conferences proposed by post-doctoral and doctoral researchers, as part of a scheme aimed at fostering academic careers.

The fellow will also have co-responsibility for a conference for doctoral students, aimed at helping them deal with issues related to doctoral studies and their futures after graduation. The Lodge is planning to expand its work with students, and the fellow will have a role in this development.

Residential Duties

The fellow is required to live in a flat on-site and to play a role in the residential life of the Lodge. This includes being part of a duty rota when s/he will be on call approximately two weekends each month. The fellow will also provide back-up to the night supervisor at least one night each week, by being on call in the event of an emergency.

The fellow will also give welcome talks to academic and professional groups about the history and purpose of Cumberland Lodge and accompany guests on tours of the Lodge.

Though Cumberland Lodge is a Christian foundation, we welcome applicants of any belief, providing they are willing to escort guests of the Lodge to, and attend, a Church of England service in the Royal Chapel in the Great Park on Sundays as one of their residential duties.

Person specification

We are looking for someone with proven academic or professional credentials who has the ability to work outside his/her area of specialism and across disciplines. The fellow must be a versatile team player, willing to take initiatives, have ability and confidence to speak in public and network with leading professionals, and able to be involved in the practicalities of running events. Good IT skills are also a requirement, including the ability to use social media.

It is essential that the fellow has a good public and professional manner, and is able to take responsibility not only for conference management but also for the general running of the Lodge (including being willing to have training in First Aid, collecting speakers from the train station, operating the fire alarms, etc.).
A valid car driving licence is also essential.

Stipend

The pensionable stipend is £20,000 p.a. A fully furnished flat in the Lodge is provided free of charge, and at least one meal a day is available at the Lodge without charge.
Applications

Please apply by sending a CV with the names and contact details of two referees, and covering letter explaining why you are interested in this post, to the Principal, The Revd Dr Edmund Newell, c/o Ms Jennifer Streek, Cumberland Lodge, The Great Park, Windsor, SL4 2HP or jennifer@cumberlandlodge.ac.uk.

The closing date for applications is Friday 28th June 2013. Interviews will take place on Thursday 11th July, for which standard class travel expenses within the UK will be paid.

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